Safety fender for automobiles



July 24, 1923- f 1,462,928

.1. E. AMADOR SAFETY FENDER FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed oct. 17. 1921 5sheets-sheet r1 N ks QQ :l

.1Q s O W o Q u m 171E g m. E o 52'/ m o ne Qf y m WV* `N S Kx O k Q *Bw 51 h N n M N N JZcf/aa/o/q INVENTQR WITNESS. ATTORNEY July 24, 1923-1.462.',928

J. E. AMADOR SAFETY FENDER FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed oct. 17'. 1921 ssheets-sheet 2 i f f/ uff /2 //#di b1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS:

Ju1y24, 1923. 1-462,928

'.1. E. AMADOR SAFETY FENDER FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Oct.'V 17.. 1921 :ssheets-sheet 5 i /7 Y A 25 26 M r/77adl0N/ENT)R WITNESS;

Patented July 245i, 123..

Ublll'rlq JOSEPH E. AMADOR, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY FENDER FOR .A U'TOFOBILES.

Application filed October 17, 41921.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that l', JOSEPH E. AMADOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Fenders forAutomobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to attachments for motor vehicles, particularlyto safety bumpers or fenders, and has for its object the provision of adevice mounted upon the front of an automobile and having a novelconnection with the brake mechanism whereby to automatically set thebrakes in the event that the automobile should collide with a pedestrianor another vehicle.

An important and more specific object is the provision of a device ofthis character which includes a spring pressed hammer-like deviceassociated with the emergency brake control pedal, this hammer devicebeing normally held inoperative and being automatically released in theevent of a collision with a person or in fact any object so as to setthe brakes. f

Another object is the provision of novel tripmeans which normally holdsthe brake actuating device inoperative with the operating springsthereof under pressure.

Still another object is the provision of a novel bumper device which ismovably mounted so that forcible contact thereof at any point with anobject will effect the setting of the brakes.

An additional object is the provision of a device of this characterwhich will be comparatively simple and inexpensive in manufacture, easyto install, which will not yinterfere with the ordinary operationy ofthe brakes, which will be eiiicient and positive in action, durable inservice and a general improvement in the art.

lith the above and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionconsists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich: 1

Figure 1 is a plan view of the front portion of an automobile chassisshowing my device associated therewith.

serial No. 508,182.

Figure 2 is a side view witha portion of the body broken away and thefloor boards in section. i

Figure 8 is a fragmentary bottom view. j y

Figure l is a sectional view showing an elevation of the hammermechanism in operated position. L

Figure 5 is a detail front elevation of the bumper bar.

Kplan Figure 6 is a detail view of the member sel cured to the brakepedal. l

Figure 7 is a detail crosssectlonalview showing the guide for the hammerdevice.

Figure 8 is a detail view showing the trigi ger mechanism. I 'AReferring' more particularlyto the drawings,`the letterfA designates theframe bars of an automobile, B designates the iioor board or the dash asthe case might be depending upon the length of the vehicle to which thedevice is to be applied. `The letter C designates the emergency brakewhich is of course associated with the usual brake mechanism in theordinary way, it being believed unnecessary to illustrate the brakemechanism though it should be understood that the brakes are set bydepressing pedal the pedal C. The pedal operates through the v usualslot D. y

In carrying out my invention I provide bars 10 which are secured uponthe frame bars A at the forward ends thereof andv which. project beyondthe forward ends.` rFliese bars 10 may be secured in position Abv anysuitable means such as screws, bolts or the like, such detail making nodifference. Pivoted at 1l upon the forward ends of the bars 10 areangular forwardly and upwardly inclined arms 12 which have their forwardends connected by a cross bar 13 upon which l". prefer to securevertically extending short barvmembers 111. From this constructionfitu,

will be seen thatif the bar 13 should striket y against an object eitherone or both of the arms-12 will swing upon the pivot 11.

Suitably secured upon the floor board or dash B, as the case might be,is a supportingV member l15, which carries a depending bracket 16 uponwhich is pivoted, as shown at 17, a hammer indicated generally by thenumeral 18. This hammer member 4is of peculiar construction and shapeand includes oppositely extending cu ved arms 19 and 20. The arm 19 isformed with a lateral extension 21 which is movable within a slottedguide 22 which is either formed upon or secured to the support 15. Theextension 21 carries a plurality of suitably supported coiled springs 23which engage against the rear side support 15. y

Secured upon the brake pedal C is an `anvil device including a suitablebody 2e which may be secured to the brake pedal by suitable means suchas a clamp or the likeor which may be formed integrally upon the pedal.Formed on this body is a flange 25 which extends alongside the footengagingportion of the pedal so as to prevent the operators foot fromcoming in Contact with the hammer device. The body 2% is formed with alateral extension 26 against which the end of the arm 20 of the hammerdevice engages. l

Provided upon the guide 22 is a lateral lug 27 which acts as a keeperfor a pivoted trigger bar 28 which is designed to bridge the lslot inthe guide member 22 to serve as retaining means for holding theextension 21 of the hammer member against movement with the springs 28under compression. Connected with the lower end of one arm l y12 is aflexible member 29, such' as a wire or the other arm cable, which'extends rearwardly about a guide pulley or roller 30 and which isconnectedwith ring 31 on the end of the trigger 28. Connected with thelower end of 12 is a similar flexible member 32 which is trained aboutla guide roller 33 at one v'side of the frame, then across the frame andabout a second'guide roller 3e and which has its end likewise connectedwith the ring 81. lnterposed in the cables or wires 29 and 32 are strongsprings 35 for the purpose of preventing breakage in case of severestrain.

Assuming that the device has beenv constructed and assembled as abovedescribed, the operation is as follows:-The mechanism is set by swingingthe hammer member 18 so that the extension 21 thereof will be forcedtowardftlie support 15 placing the springs 23 under compression. Thetrigo-,eror latch 28I isthen swung to extend across the slot in theguide 22, this trigger engagingbehind the extension 21 and in front ofthe keeper lug 27 for holding the hammer member against movement. Theflexible members and 33 will then be held taut. In the event of a.collision of any kind which will cause the application of pressure tothe bar 13 either or both arms 12 will be swung upon the pivot 11whereupon a pull vwill be exerted upon the associated flexible member 29or 32 or upon both flexible members in case the bar 13 is struck at itscenten kWhen a pull is exerted upon either flexible member the triggermember 28 will be swung down out of engagement with the keeper lug 27and of course outl of engagement with the extension 21 which will resultin allowing the springs 23 to swing the hammer member 18 violently sothat the end of the arm 20 thereon will forcibly engage against theextension 26 of the anvil member and move the pedal C forwardly anddownwardly to its brake setting position so that the vehicle will bestopped almost instantly before any `great harm could result from thecollision. The vertical bars 14. are provided for the purpose ofrendering the devicefoperative incase a collision should occur betweentwo vehicles equipped with my device. After the device has once beenoperated it must'of course bemanually reset and it is to be noted thatthe device when in set position doesnot interfere with the ordinaryoperation ofthe brakes. f

From the stndy of the drawings, it will be apparent that l have thusprovided a simplyV lconstructed and easily -applied device which willautomaticallyl operate to vset the emer` gency brakes of a vehicle incase of any'collision whatever so that the vehicle will come topracticallyl an instantaneous stop without any `voluntary action on thepart of the driver or operator. lt will be observed .thatk foregoingdescription and a the mechanismvis easily reset and that it will notinterfere withthe usual operation of the vehicle and will not' detractfrom the appearance.

l/Vhile l have shown and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention it is of course to be yunderstood that I reserve the right tomake such changes in the form, construction and arrangement of. `partsas will not depart from the spirit ofthe invention or the scope of thesubjoined claims,

Having described the invention l claim n 1. A safety crevice for motorvehicles comprising the combination with the brake setting pedal, of ananvil member .carried by the pedal, a hammer member pivoted intermediateits ends and yhaving one end engageable with said anvil-,springsengaging the otherend of the hammer for urging the first mentioned lendforcibly against the anvilQa slotted guide for the second fmentioned. r

end of the hammer, a catch device pivotally mounted on said guide andengaging behind the second named arm of the hammer device, and collisionreleased means for withdrawing said catch device from engagement withthe hammer.

2. A safety device for motor vehicles com- -I prising the combinationwith the brake setting pedal, of an anvil member carried yby the pedal,a hammer member pivote'd inten, mediate its ends and havin-g one endengage able with said anvil, springs engaging the other end of thehammer for urging the first mentioned end forcibly against the anvil, aslotted guide for the second mentioned end of the hammer, a catch devicepivoted on said guide and engaging behind the second named arm of thehammer device, and collision released means for withdrawing said catchdevice from engagement with the hammer, said means comprising a bumperstructure pivoted upon the front end of the vehicle and flexible membersconnected with i0 said bumper structure, trained about guide rollers andconnected `with said catch member.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

JOSEPH" E. AMADOR.

